Skiatook

Skiatook is a city in Osage and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 8,450 at the 2020 census, an increase of 14.24 percent over the figure of 7,397 recorded in 2010. The Battle of Chustenahlah was fought just west of Skiatook, on December 26, 1861, during the American Civil War. William C. Rogers, last hereditary Chief of the Cherokees, founded the town in 1872, when he established a trading post in the Cherokee Nation on the south bank of Bird Creek. The word is Cherokee in origin, and means "Big-Indian-Me" or refers to something of large size. In 1892, the name was changed from Ski-a-took toSkiatook. In March 1905 the Midland Valley Railroad was built through the town and the settlement expanded to include parts of Osage County and the Osage Nation. The town was incorporated on May 28, 1905, and the first church building was built in 1907. In the 1930s, SkiatOOK began purchasing water from Lake Spavinaw. The completion of Skiaatook Lake in 1984 gave Skiaattook its own water source. In 2000, the town commissioned a "Main Street program" in order to revitalize its downtown area. The city is located in the northeastern part of the state, approximately 20 miles north and west of Tulsa. Due to its location on the border between Osage. County and Tulsa County, Skiaotook has been referred to as "the Gateway to theOsage".

History

The Battle of Chustenahlah was fought just west of Skiatook, on December 26, 1861, during the American Civil War. William C. Rogers, last hereditary Chief of the Cherokees, founded the town in 1872. The word is Cherokee in origin, and means "Big-Indian-Me" or refers to something of large size. In 1892, the name was changed from Ski-a-took toSkiatook. In March 1905, the Midland Valley Railroad was built through the town and the settlement expanded to include parts of Osage County and the Osage Nation. The 14.5 mile Osage Prairie Trail links Skiatooks with Tulsa to the south. In the 1930s, Skiaitook began purchasing water from Lake Spavinaw. In 2000, the town commissioned a "Main Street program" in order to revitalize its downtown area. The town's first church building was the First Christian Church in 1907. The first newspaper was published in April 1905 and the town was incorporated shortly after on May 28, 1905. The completion of Skiaitt Lake in 1984 gave SkiatOOK its own water source. The towns population has increased to around 2000. It became known as the "Gateway to all points North, South, East and West" in the early 1920s, and with good roads leading out in all directions. It has been converted from rail into the 14. 5 mile Osages Prairie Trail linking the town to Tulsa.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 7,397 people, 2,796 households, and 1,989 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 73.3% White, 0.6% African American, 17.7% Native American, 0,6% Asian,0.01% Pacific Islander, and 8.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population. The town's population was spread out, with 31.0% under the age of 18, 9. 3% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.3%. The median age was 32 years. The median income for a household was $39,617, and $52,072 for a family. The per capita income was $19,943. About 9.4% of families and 12.9%. of the residents were below the poverty line, including 17. 7% of those under age 18 and 11.6. of those age 65 or over. For every 100 females age 18 or over, there are 81.9 males. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.11. The population density was 456.2 inhabitants per square mile (176.1/km²). There were 2,125 housing units at an average density of 145.3 per squaremile (56.1 /km²).

Arts and culture

Skiatook hosts several events throughout the year, including the Pioneer Days Festival, complete with a parade, fly-in, Chili cook-off, art show, tractor show, car show, delicious food from various vendors, rides, vintage planes, and a rodeo. The Skiatook Museum was established thanks to the people who kept mementos, scrapbooks, pictures, letters, and artifacts. The museum board conducted a successful building fund campaign in 1999 and completed an addition to the home which has added much-needed space for the display of local historical documents. Also provided is a microfilm reader to enable visitors to research into newspapers dating back to April 1905, the date the first newspaper in town began publishing. The town also hosts a Bluegrass Festival; a fine art & quilt show in October; various fishing tournaments; and a Christmas parade. In 1910, Dr. W. G. Phillips settled inSkiatook and served the community for 50 years. His medical diploma and college graduation picture are on display at the museum. In 1988, after 5 moves, the museum moved into the home of pioneer doctor W.G. Phillips. In 1999 the museum board completed a successfulBuilding Fund Campaign in 1999 to add much- needed space to the museum's display ofLocal historical documents, as well as furniture and other household items of the town's pioneers. In 2010, the town held its first Pioneer Days festival. The festival was held on the anniversary of the start of the Skiatooks' first newspaper.

Parks and recreation

Skiatook Dam and Lake was authorized for construction by the Flood Control Act approved October 23, 1962. It is one of five projects in the Bird Creek Basin plan recommended to meet the comprehensive water resources needs of the area. The lake has a surface area of about 10,500 acres (42 km²) and 160 miles (260 km) of shoreline. Boating, hiking, swimming, camping, picnicking as well as hunting and fishing are all popular activities at the lake. The Osage Prairie Trail was constructed with Vision 2025 funds, and this 14 miles (23 km) jogging and bike trail connects Skiatook to Tulsa's extensive bike and jogging trail system. Largemouth bass, black and white crappie, channel catfish, and several species of sunfish are plentiful in Skiatooks Lake. About 1,800 acres (7.3km²) of land around the lake have been set aside for public use areas. These areas provide roads, parking spaces, boat ramps, nature trails, Picnicking and camping sites along with sanitary and sanitary facilities to blend in with the natural landscape surrounding the lake and blend in to the landscape of the SkiatOOK area. There are several places open to camping, including Tallchief Cove, Bull Creek and Twin Points campgrounds. Other parks on the lake include Blackdog Park, Osage Park, Quapaw Park, Hominy Landing andSkiatook Point. The Healing Rock, Civil War Battle Marker (Battle of Chustenahlah), Captain's Cemetery and Hillside Cemetery.

Government

Skiatook has a city government with a 7-member city council and a City Manager. City public services include a full-time fire department, a police department with 24-hour E911 communications center; and refuse service, sanitation and sewage. The first Skiatook Public Schools School Board was elected in 1907 after statehood. The district originally operated out of one building on the corner of 2nd and B streets. In 1908, a bond paid for a new school in the block between 3rd and 4th streets and Osage and B street. In 1976, the current high school was built with a sports complex added in 1978, an auditorium added in 1979. In 1990, Newman Middle School was built and named after former Superintendent Jim Newman. In May, 2019, the city council voted unanimously for Roger Upton to serve as Mayor for the next two years. Herb Forbes will serve as Vice Mayor during the same period. The city is responsible for a comprehensive city plan and for zoning. The town is home to a virtual school for 6th-12th grades, called Skatook Virtual Academy. The virtual school is located in the town's downtown area and is open to the public. The school district also offers a virtual high school for sixth- to 12th-grade students. The high school has a football stadium, baseball field, soccer field, and agriculture building. It was built in 1976. In 1989, the town approved a new high school and junior high to be built. In 1999, the original school building burned down.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Skiatook, Osage County, Oklahoma = 85. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 53. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 98. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Skiatook = 4.9 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 8,450 individuals with a median age of 33.3 age the population grows by 14.47% in Skiatook, Osage County, Oklahoma population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 616.11 residents per square mile of area (237.88/km²). There are average 2.66 people per household in the 2,310 households with an average household income of $45,645 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 8.00% of the available work force and has growths 0.54% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 33.08%. The number of physicians in Skiatook per 100,000 population = 41.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Skiatook = 37.6 inches and the annual snowfall = 6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 72. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 233. 93 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 26 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 27, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Skiatook, Osage County, Oklahoma which are owned by the occupant = 68.55%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 30 years with median home cost = $123,850 and home appreciation of 1.66%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $5.89 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $3,223 per student. There are 17.3 students for each teacher in the school, 314 students for each Librarian and 359 students for each Counselor. 5.50% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 8.32% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 5.10% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).